Palin ties national debt to slavery

Sarah Palin compared the federal debt to slavery at a GOP dinner in Iowa.

“Our free stuff today is being paid for by taking money from our children and borrowing from China,” she said on Saturday at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's fall fundraiser, according to the Des Moines Register.

“When that money comes due — and this isn’t racist, but it’ll be like slavery when that note is due. We are going to beholden to the foreign master.”

The government offers "free" services, she said.

This event marked Palin’s first public appearance in the Hawkeye State since 2011, the Register reports. Iowa is an early caucus state in the presidential primary process.

Palin has suggested she might run for president one day. Other notable Republicans who spoke at the dinner included Sen. Mike Lee (Utah), Rep. Steve King (Iowa) and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.

At the dinner, Palin also said conservatism focuses on “moving the poor and the underemployed out of poverty and out from the shackles of dependency on government.”